Prosecutor asks for Pilar property case to leave Campana court

A prosecutor has requested the transfer of a money laundering investigation concerning a lavish property in Pilar, Argentina, from the Campana court to the specialized economic crimes court in Buenos Aires. The property is reportedly linked to Pablo Toviggino, the treasurer of the Argentine Football Association (AFA). The investigation centers on allegations of a money laundering scheme, with formal owners of the property, monotributist Luciano Pantano and his mother Ana Conte, being investigated as alleged fronts for AFA officials.

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The prosecutor argued that it is still premature to define the jurisdiction of the case solely by the location of the house and that, as it is a case of asset laundering, it corresponds to be processed in a specialized jurisdiction.

Sources indicate that the prosecutor, Gabriel Pérez Barberá, argued that the case's nature as an asset laundering investigation warrants its handling by a specialized court, rather than solely based on the property's geographical location. Several prosecutors involved in determining jurisdiction have agreed that the case should be moved from Campana. This move comes after the formal owners requested the investigation be transferred to their local court, a request initially granted by Judge Adrián González Charvay and supported by Judge Alberto Lugones. However, the Federal Chamber of Cassation later ordered that the Economic Criminal Chamber decide on the appropriate jurisdiction.

Evidence gathered in the case reportedly points strongly towards Toviggino. During searches of the property, a collection of luxury cars, whose monthly payments were covered by an AFA card, were seized. Additionally, a commemorative plaque bearing Toviggino's name and a go-kart used by his son were found. Reports also indicate that before the raid, employees removed items that more directly linked Toviggino to the property, such as a painting of him and his father. During his own tax evasion inquiry, Toviggino was accompanied by a car registered to Real Central, the company that formally owns the property.

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All prosecutors who had to rule on where the case should be processed, including the Cassation, Mario Villar, opined that the case should leave the Campana Justice.

The controversy surrounding the property has expanded with revelations that Carlos Mahiques, a judge from the country's highest criminal court, celebrated a birthday there. Both Mahiques and his son, Justice Minister Bautista Mahiques, have denied this. Following the publication of this information, Mahiques resigned from his interim position in the chamber that was set to hear the case.

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Much of the evidence gathered in the case points against the treasurer Toviggino.